Free laptops with broadband internet are to be provided to more than a quarter
of a million low-income households in a bid to boost exam results and job
chances, Gordon Brown has announced.

The Prime Minister said the £300 million project would see every family in the country linked to their children's schools to access progress reports on attainment, behaviour and other needs.

As well as helping pupils with homework, trials of the scheme had also proved invaluable to single parents with finding work and keeping in touch with friends, Mr Brown said.

He hailed the national rollout of the scheme in a speech to education ministers and professionals from around the world meeting at a forum in London.

''We want every family to become a broadband family, and we want every home linked to a school. For those finding it difficult to afford this, today I can announce the nationwide rollout of our home access programme to get laptops and broadband at home for 270,000 families,'' he said.

''It will mean all families can come together, learn together and reap the rewards together.''

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The move is designed to meet a ''guarantee'', contained in legislation being debated by MPs today, that all parents will be able to access school reports about their children's progress online.

''We realise that for parents to influence and engage in the education of their children they need rich, varied and easily accessible information on the progress, behaviour and attendance of their children,'' the PM said.

''That is why we have said that from 2010 all secondary schools - and from 2012 all primary schools - will guarantee reporting online to parents.

''So the mother who's worried about her son struggling with his reading can find out more about how she can help, or the dad who works long hours and can't make a parents' evening can keep in touch with his daughter's progress, at whatever time of the day or night that he's free.''

The Prime Minister also announced an ambition to double the value of the UK's higher education exports, saying that it will be one of Britain's biggest growth industries this century as the rise of Asia meant billions of people fuelling the demand for education.

''At every level - from primary schooling through to postgraduate research - the demand for education will grow exponentially as the global economy grows,'' he said.

''With our world class universities, our leadership in creative and digital industries, and the English language itself, Britain can offer ourselves as a global education superpower - placing Britain's strengths at the service of learning and educational advancement throughout the world.''

More than 12,000 grants were issued in last year's pilots of the scheme by Becta, the Government agency responsible for driving the use of IT in education.

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said computers were now as "essential" as books or pens yet a million youngsters had no internet access at home.

Research had found a home computer could boost a pupil's results in one subject at GCSE by two grades, he said.

Under the scheme, families with children in school years three to nine (around seven to 14 years of age) who are entitled to free schools meals and meet "strict eligibility criteria" will be able to apply for a grant to buy a computer and broadband connection from an approved supplier.

Mr Balls said: "Families who are most in need cannot be left behind in the digital revolution we're seeing in education.

"Being online at home provides educational, economic and social benefits that cannot be ignored. We estimate that around one million children are without the internet at home, and it's clear they are at a disadvantage to their peers.

"Computers are no longer a luxury for the few, but are as essential a part of education as books, pens and paper."

The scheme would also help parents become more confident in using IT to access services and find work, he said.

"This is all about making sure no child is left behind because of their background, getting parents more involved in their child's learning and helping them get the skills they need to get back into employment or training."

Mr Brown, Mr Balls and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson earlier met the Clarke family from Ipswich, who were one of the households to take part in a trial of the laptop scheme in Suffolk and Oldham last year.

Reisha, 19, Tyneish, 10, and eight-year-old Talani came to 10 Downing Street to show the Prime Minister how they do school and university work on their laptop, although mother Julie admitted her daughters also used it to watch music videos on YouTube.